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August 05, 2009
Disney Gets Sane At The Movies
A few years back, At The Movies (or whatever the name was at that point) got de-thumbed in an effort to cheap Roger Ebert and The Widow Siskel out of their trademarked thumbs and also decided that the show, then hosted by Richard Roeper, couldn't afford to fly in A.O. Scott, who had done a very nice job on the show, to be permanent co-host, even though he was quite interested in having the job.
This led to Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune taking the second seat permanently... for the season. The move was fine, as content, but Roeper was still dragging the show down, and actually wanted to get paid as Disney: The Syndicator continued to nickel and dime the show to death.
Enter The Effort To Find Younger Viewers... and with it The Two Bens... 1. the grandson of a legendary filmmaker and someone who loved film and 2. the moron child of a once-serious film critic turned full-time quote whore.
The strategy didn't work. Ratings kept falling... clearances got worse... and no one respected the show.
With 1 year still left on their syndication contracts, someone at Disney got smart and decided to go the other way. The show will still surely be done on the cheap, but someone must have thought, "We are flying these two in every week... why again did we reject the critic at the NY Times?"
So now, the very pleasant and bright Mr. Phillips and the very pleasant and bright Mr. Scott will be the hosts for the next season of At The Movies. It will be worth watching. And Disney will find out whether quality works in syndication, especially now that Pater Lyons and his girl sidekick - the bright, but not-a-critic Allison Bailes - are not even attempting to keep their mess on air.
No doubt, this will frustrate Roger Ebert a little bit, as he was working on a show for Phillips and Roeper that is now impossible. But in the long run, this is good for him and I'm sure he will support the show. And if the smart person at Disney who pulled the trigger on this is REALLY smart, they will find a way to get Roger back into the game, even if it means a produced segment with Roger's words either heard via his computer voice or voiced weekly by someone clever, like Ian McKellan.
Posted by dpoland at August 5, 2009 01:36 PM
Comments
The last idea could be brilliant or somewhat goofy. At its extreme, they could bring in a different, vocally-gifted actor (James Earl Jones, Ian McKellen, Alan Rickman, etc). I'm not sure how they'd avoid making it a bit campy (this week Keith David or Tony Todd does Roger Ebert), but it might be worth a shot.
Posted by: Scott Mendelson ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 5, 2009 02:14 PM
"or voiced weekly by someone clever, like Ian McKellan."
Or better yet, in a tip of the hat to Pixar: PETER O'TOOLE. That would be brilliant, actually.
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley at August 5, 2009 02:47 PM
I'd love to see an episode with AO on a Scotch bender. All slurred and belligerent. Doing a Cheney: "Nah, ya don't know what you're talking about!"
Posted by: mutinyco at August 5, 2009 03:31 PM
Bravo!
Scott is brilliant, and Phillips is not-quite-brilliant but smart and certainly affable enough.
I'm a little shocked that someone at Disney actually had the good sense (and taste) to throw the two Bens out with the trash where they belong. Now if there was any true justice in the world, "E" would tear up Lyons Jr.'s contract and his old man would permanently cut off his allowance. Callow Dude is so fatally dim he makes Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle seem like Mensa charter members.
Not sure whether I like the idea of Ebert returning as (someone else's) "disembodied voice," though. Ben and Ben were plenty creepy enough.
Posted by: movieman at August 5, 2009 03:38 PM
Andy Serkis as a CGI Ebert!
Posted by: Craig Kennedy at August 5, 2009 04:51 PM
Couldn't they take all those years of Ebert audio and piece together new reviews that way? Kinda like the last Chef episode of South Park?
Posted by: yancyskancy at August 5, 2009 06:28 PM
Stephen Hawking or Snoop Dogg. But only if they can't get Joanna Newsom to sing his review of "G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra".
Posted by: Hallick at August 5, 2009 08:28 PM
Although I LOVE this move, I refuse to believe someone at Disney was smart enough to figure it out. Does "At The Movies" or whatever it's called even *matter* anymore in the internet age?? I grew up on the show and loved it because it was all movies I might or might not get to see. Or at least, I'd get excited that my 3rd run city *might* get it someday. Now, a movies fortune is told just prior to and on opening weekend.
I hope the new hosts will re-ignite a show that didn't deserve to be treated the way it was, but I dunno.
p.s. Richard Roeper isn't a bad critic, writer OR TV personality. I hope someday he gets on an unedited take-off of "At the Movies" which I'm frankly STUNNED no one has done yet. Talk about a smart move. Known critics telling it like it is instead of milquetoasting it for evryone. Like blogs only talkies!
Posted by: don lewis (was PetalumaFilms) at August 5, 2009 08:39 PM
PetalumaFilms is right. This show died with Siskel and the Internet. Does anyone really watch movie review shows anymore? Anyone normal that is?
Posted by: Wrecktum at August 5, 2009 08:42 PM
Two white guys in their 40s does not seem like the best way to find an audience. But it's nice to see you've reversed yourself on Phillips, DP.
Posted by: chris at August 6, 2009 03:54 PM
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